Beyond the Vineyards: Sample Northern Portugal & Spain

Another Road Scholar success! From the minute we entered the airport terminal in Porto, our driver greeted us with a large sign, “Road Scholar”. After 24 hours without sleep, we were grateful to not have to search for our pickup. Arriving at the hotel lobby, Maribel had already secured our room and sent us off to a much needed nap. We were in her caring hands for the rest of our spectacular two-week trek through Portugal and Spain. Each day, she would review the schedule for the following day before releasing us. I had a particular dietary restriction. Upon our arrival at the restaurants, Maribel confirmed with the waitstaff that they had accommodated my needs and those of others with the same issue. Maribel is a conscientious, detailed, warm and friendly guide. We had a fabulous overview of what each country and region offers. Road Scholar selected the locations of our overnight accommodations, placing them in or near the historic areas, except for a mountain resort/spa that provided stunning views of mountains and the river valley below. Our local guides had a firm command of English, were well-versed in their history and culture, and a genuine pride for it. We experienced a variety of activities. A visit to a mussel farm, a ride on a 19th century funicular, a canal ride in a moliceiro, serenaded by Fado musicians and traditional musicians and dancers in Santiago. The cities and sights we saw are unforgettable. We merely scratched the surface of these incredibly diverse countries.

The Road Scholar tour of northern Portugal and Spain is an unforgettable experience that blends rich history, stunning landscapes, and vibrant cultures. Each day is filled with guided excursions to allow participants to immerse themselves in local traditions, cuisine, and stories that define the unique regions. The expert instructors were excellent in teaching about the countries and prepared us for exploring the regions. Our group leader was wonderful and provided engaging opportunities throughout the tour. I highly recommend the tour for exploring the unique towns and wine regions of the two countries.

Unfortunately, I've been to over 16 different countries around the world and this was my worst trip ever. The group leader gave me no consideration for my medical issue, type 1 Diabetes, until day 12 when she was just about forced to. I clearly had "no sugar" marked on my profile and she spent all her time switching out main courses for the people that didn't like fish. I got Covid the third day in from someone else on the trip and was blamed for "spreading" the virus. She, of course, used reversed psychology..."Marie, don't blame yourself for spreading this we don't know who did". uh huh....I've been in Medical Sales for 30 years selling Microbiology and Virology products for decades. She assumes, doesn't ask any questions, ignored my concerns until it was too late. The food was terrible almost everywhere with the exception of the wineries. I come from the Seattle area and I've never had worse Cod anywhere on the planet. But the fish people didn't have to eat it. I was served desert every meal until two restaurants asked me if I wanted fruit when I had to refuse the desert and I accepted. The interesting part was even when a hotel "Didn't have a restaurant" and served breakfast they always had cut up fruit. She couldn't even ask them to serve that instead of desert. But switching the main course was no problem for preferences. This was absolutely unacceptable to me. A Medical issue for God sakes. When I did get Covid I had to walk 12 blocks from that hotel to get to a grocery store which was the 3rd day of the tour. When we were at the 2nd hotel I needed food so I called the reataurand 3 times. The first two they didn't answer and it rang over 9 times. The third time they told me the restaurant was closed and there was nothing they could do....for a Medical issue. It her job to let them know of my profile. I was so stressed getting food that I could eat I became nauseated with explosive diahrrea and, of course no toilet paper where we were at. TFH

Such a great experience! Every day was a treat while learning more about the history and culture of Portugal and Spain. Clarisa, our group leader, made this a fun trip. Lots of walking, the pavers and stairs in Portugal can be a challenge! Amazing foods and good wines. I definitely recommend this tour!

This program provided an amazing range of experiences and insights throughout parts of Portugal and Spain that may not be as well-known to many travelers, but are certainly worth learning about. The history, geography, architecture, art, and people of these regions are fascinating, and you will experience new perspectives and daily surprises about life in this part of our world. Don't hesitate to join this adventure!

I just completed my first Road Scholar trip and it was everything I was looking for and more. I am a single woman who was looking for a way to continue my travels safely and comfortably. This fit the bill and I will be booking another adventure soon.

Our 15 day trip in northern Spain and Portugal was every bit as good as I had hoped. Perhaps minus the few days of rain... Our fellow travelers added to our enjoyment and we all agreed it is a gorgeous part of the world with friendly, interesting people throughout.

Good wine, great meals, terrific leader, good camaraderie.

This trip was an awesome experience. Our group leader, Elena, was outstanding.

When most people think about vacationing in Portugal or Spain, they think of the big cities – Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona. This trip covers none of those and I was glad. Experiencing the local food and wine and cathedrals and castles and small towns and cities on this Road Scholar trip was so much more enjoyable than facing the crowds and lines and overall busy feel of those big tourist areas. The northern parts of Spain and Portugal are vastly different than the southern regions, with lush scenery, agriculture and seafood and complex historic and cultural variety. Imagine experiencing bagpipe music and Port wine on the same trip – it was delightful!

We highly recommend this trip as it's a bit off the beaten path of popular tourist sites but rewards you with wonderful places and experiences you might miss if you planned your own trip.

This program takes you into the parts of Portugal and Spain that are less traveled, and provides experiences in a number of different smaller cities. Although it is called "Beyond the Vineyards", we visited a number of wonderful wineries! Meals were delicious, tours of each location were thorough, and the hotels were delightful. Overall, an enjoyable learning experience. It is worth noting that the walking is strenuous and very hilly!

The Beyond the Vineyards tour was an exceptional one. Most of the credit needs to go to our Group Leader Mayra Noguerales, who was outstanding and very accommodating to the needs of the group. She went above and beyond to make the trip an enjoyable one and a bonding experience for the participants. The ability to visit small towns, somewhat off the beaten track, as well as spend time in the vineyards of the Duro Valley were highlights of the tour. Highly recommend.

This was a fabulous trip - great variety of activites and accomodations, the food and wine were fabulous, and the guides and lecturers were excellent. Our group leader Mayra was outstanding - can't say enough good things about her!

Our trip to Portugal and Spain was wonderful in every respect! Excellent guide, charming accommodations, delicious food and wine and delightful travel companions. Both my husband and I would highly recommend this very enjoyable adventure.

This trip was, as usual a nice variety of activities and experiences. One of the best parts of a Road Scholar trip is the unique opportunity to learn about the history and culture of the regions. My only suggestion would be to rearrange the trip to reduce the number of hotels. Even if it requires a little extra time on a bus, the time and energy saved in not packing up and moving would still be worth it. Our leader was great and very well organized as well as being a fun person to travel with. Thanks Road Scholar for another amazing trip, I’ve already booked the next trip!

While learning about production of different wines was certainly an important focus of our trip, there were so many other interesting things that we did. We learned about mussel farming, the origin of Fado, and a wonderful demonstration of Folk Dancing. A field trip to Las Medulas to learn about early gold mining and diverting water sources from way up in the mountains to totally change the topography, was something that most tourists do not get to do. Of course, my fellow travelers were a warm and interesting and diverse group. A most enjoyable trip!

Beyond the Vineyard was a delightful visit to northern Portugal and Spain. The guide Ulises was wonderful, as were the local guides. The accommodations and food were beyond my expectations; we stayed in some memorable places. I feel that I learned a great deal about the region, and enjoyed the education.

This is a thrilling, stimulating, multi-sensual experience in every way. The architecture, history, and traditions of both Portugal and Spain are pure joy. We were busy and active every day, but time in Leon especially GAUDI, the Catalan architect, was uniquely outstanding! Accommodations were exceptional throughout! The Sistas

As a former travel professional, I highly recommend Road Scholar. Four of our friends joined us because I have high regard for this non- profit company.

What a great vacation we had. Our trip allowed us to become familiar with the people of Portugal and Spain and their history and culture. Our trip emphasized the foods and wines of the region. What a delightful experience that was. We loved all aspects of our trip.

Elena, our tour guide, made a fabulous program have character, imagination and come alive. Thank you MA

As usual, Road Scholar created another amazing experience. Our guide, Mayra, was informative, helpful, and a person you wanted to spend time with. The hotel choices were great - I liked the variety of places from a monastery to the King's hunting lodge. And the food, especially in Portugal, was delicious. The best meal was the unlimited mussels in Portugal. I know that I set an all-time personal best in consuming them - delicious. The only criticism I have is the choice of the local guides. The best ones were the man in Coimbra and the man in Segovia. I believe personality is just as important as knowledge of an area. The women in Guimaraes and Las Medulas were not as good as the others. Mayra went out the way to ensure our every needs were taken care of. She wove in her first-hand experience of growing up in Spain with the history we learned about during the trip - this made it come alive for me. Mayra also took care of a woman in our group who was unable to keep up and who had some physical issues. Mayra went above and beyond to ensure this woman's safety without diminishing the needs of the rest of the group. Thank you to whomever made the itinerary and the accommodations for this trip. It was another exceptional tour.

This trip through northern Portugal and Spain was so diverse and educational. From history, architecture, local regional culture, to the food and wines, every day was a new adventure. I highly recommend this program.

We just completed the Beyond the Vineyards tour of Northern Portugal and Spain. Excellent program and great guides and staff. We are so glad we went, despite covid concerns and some restrictions. We would highly recommend it. The description of the tour is very accurate and it exceeded our expectations. Stan and Marjo

We had such a fun time on our first Road Scholar tour - to France - that we signed up for Beyond the Vineyards: Portugal and Spain. And it was a great decision - this is a fantastic tour. I liked it because of the smaller cities that we visited and because of the variety of sites. Although this tour is billed as a wine tour, there is far more variation to the places visited. I am not a wine drinker at all - and I still always found something interesting to see. Many of the wineries offer the chance to tour a gorgeous estate, meeting small business owners who share their family histories. Other stops offered time to visit universities, seaside villages, and an old Roman mining site that left behind a geographical oddity that is gorgeous. We saw Santiago de Compostela and learned about doing a Camino pilgrimage and stood in front of the cathedral there - which is just massive - watching pilgrims finish their long journeys. We saw the unbelievable stained glass in the Leon cathedral, we stayed in an old palace near Segovia, and, all the while, we ate good food and made new friends. This is a fantastic trip led, for us, by Mayra, who is a consummate professional. She’s kind, funny, engaged, and brought Portugal and Spain to life for us with her stories, commentaries, and leadership. You cannot go wrong with this trip!!!

Excellent program!! Mayra is a superb group leader and you will be lucky if she is leading your tour.

What a fabulous itinerary! Great mix of beautiful and historic sites, great learning, and delicious food and wine. There were unexpected lovely surprises at each stop. And, we had Mayra, the best group leader!

Road Scholar made traveling to Northwestern Spain and Northern Portugal during Covid feel safe and enjoyable. If you enjoy wine tastings and great accommodations in both well known and less travelled places this is the trip for you!

Wonderful tour! Terrific tour guide! I especially enjoyed the variety of activities with plenty of free time. We stayed in some excellent hotels!

Explore areas of Portugal and Spain that will enlighten your love for food and wine. See places that are a bit off the beaten path and are extremely interesting. The food will not disappoint! And try many different types of wine from Spain and Portugal.

Wine tasting, great meals, trips to sites in interesting cities and also in the countryside...discover historic cities like Santiago de Compostela, Leon, Coimbra, and Porto, as well as the Douro River wineries, Aveiros canals, and Rias Baixas fisheries.